Section 6AA girls' basketball: Season ends for Silverstreak girls

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The Osakis girls’ basketball team saw its season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion in the opening round of the Section 6AA North tournament last Thursday night.

The Silverstreaks went into third-seeded Melrose having lost four straight to end the regular season. They carried that momentum into the playoffs as they pushed the Dutchmen to the brink before a late bucket put Melrose up for good in a 52-51 overtime win.

“The girls played with great heart and desire all night,” Osakis head coach Pat Kalpin said. “And to come up short is a tough pill to swallow. The toughest part is seeing the girls struggle with the loss. We knew going into the game it was going to be a battle. We just tried to put an emphasis on every offensive and defensive possession.”

Osakis took that to heart and trailed by just one at the half. Annalise Savageau had eight points in the first half to lead the way. Melrose’s Jenna Orth matched her step-for-step with 12 of her 17 coming before the break. That back-and-forth is how things would go throughout the night.

“I think the biggest margin was four points at one point in the game,” Kalpin said. “It was a great game to be a part of as a coach and was really fun watching both sides compete like they did.”

Both teams had chances to end things in regulation before exchanging baskets through the first four minutes of the extra session. Melrose took its final lead on a bucket with seven seconds left.

Brooke Sorenson stepped up after halftime to give Osakis a chance. She had eight points in the second half and six more in overtime as she and Savageau finished with a game-high 18 points.

“I felt that Brooke played her best game of the year,” Kalpin said. “She was able to knock down some big shots for us…Madi Forsell, Becka Sadlemyer, Cali Sadlemyer, Mariah Backes, Rachelle Rajdl and Tayler Waldvogel all contributed positively and played their hearts out.”

That made the loss more difficult to handle for the Silverstreaks. They finished the season 16-10 overall and second in a revamped Prairie Conference at 13-3.

“They have nothing to hang their heads about and should be proud of what they accomplished this year,” Kalpin said. “The toughest part about losing is ending the season. The girls worked really hard all year long…I’m proud of this team and how they played.”

It was also the last game in an Osakis uniform for senior Calista Sadlemyer. The rest of the lineup will remain intact as the Silverstreaks try to build on their winning record heading into next season.

GAME STATISTICS

MELROSE 23 22 9 – 52

OSAKIS 22 21 8 – 51

OSAKIS SCORING – Savageau – 18; Sorenson – 18; Backes – 2; C. Sadlemyer – 3; Becka Sadlemyer – 4; Madi Forsell – 6

MELROSE SCORING – Gabi Sawyer – 7; Jenna Orth – 17; Shelby Uphoff – 12; Annie Herkanhoff – 14; Krista Klassen – 2

Tags: osakis sports, sports, silverstreaks, girls, basketball, section, 6aa